Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Chris Evans: From Actor to Director

I've been saving a Chris Evans interview article from CBR for the right time to highlight it, and then some more news came down the pipeline that's made that tidbit all the sweeter and more poignant to spotlight.

The article on CBR that caught my attention was this one.  It's an interview pertaining to the upcoming film Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

I have quote blocked the excerpt in particular that caught my attention from it.

Can you talk about the new fighting? We were talking to the Russos and they were telling us that it's kind of a new different fighting style as well.

Yeah. Well, that's what we were all saying. I remember when I first met with the Russos. Has anyone played the "Captain America" video game? I love it, and I don't like video games. I was like, I love it because I love the way Cap moves. He moves so well. He just beats ass. It's like, that's how this guy needs to be moving. This isn't just a guy who's given the ability of speed and power. He's been training. He's got the frame of mind to absorb this information, so I can only assume with training and his ability, this guy should really be dangerous, and we should show that. It's not just -- take Jason Bourne and make him… if Jason Bourne can do it, Cap should be flying through these things. So we've had a little bit of fun kind of turning up his power, turning up his speed, and so the fights are more grizzly and more impactful and, in my opinion, cooler.

What I liked about the video game is the shield. On hand-to-hand combat, you use the shield?

Yeah, absolutely, shield use and acrobatics too. I mean, he's flipping off things and spinning and jumping and just using his environment. And it's not just punch, punch, kick, kick, you know what I mean? That's fine, but this has to be more than "Bourne Supremacy."

The more time Cap spends in the modern era, the more he'll be confronted with decisions that don't just allow him to choose between black and white How much of a challenge for you was it to master that move?

It was a bit of a chore, but it was fun. I was excited. They put me in gymnastic classes, and we were doing combat stuff every day for a few months. And it's a lot of fun because when you get the dance down -- all it is, is just a dance really, the choreography -- when you get the dance down, you start working on the acting. Because you can't telegraph a block or a punch. You have to show if you've been hurt. When it gets down fast, when it's sharp. It's neat. It just feels so good. It feels great. It feels like dancing, and it just looks so good. We have such good stunt coordinators and choreographers. The Russos really have a handle on how they want to shoot this. Sometimes you watch the stunt guys do a little playback like in the stunt warehouse, and it looks okay. And then the Russos get in there with these great angles and a lot of great camera movement, and some of the films they even reference in those first meetings of how they wanted fight sequences to look were spot on. And the footage that I've seen is awesome. You went to Comic-Con? I just saw the Comic-Con footage. It's so good. I was like, "Oh, thank God."


So today, a different kind of article has popped up talking about Chris Evans leaving acting for directing.  He'll still finish up his Marvel contract, but he's going to pursue his directing dreams.  He talked about this over in an interview with Variety.

After the previous interview where he points out aspects of choreography and how it's all essentially a dance, I'm highly interested in seeing what his works produce.  Chris Evans has been a highlight in many features.  His character in The Losers had some of the most memorable scenes in cinema ever.  His portrayal of Steve Rogers is top notch.  Even his portrayal of Johnny Storm has helped show his range and growth.  He's covered a wide acting personality range, and has interacted with many directorial talents in the industry.  It makes me curious what skills he's picked up and how he applies his experiences to future projects.  He already seems to have the kind of mind needed for directing with the details he's noticed(from various source influences) and then talked to the directors about boosting his portrayal of Steve Rogers using some amazingly sound logic that will help elevate the film.

Okay, okay.  Yes, the first thing that crossed my mind was "what if he directed an X-23 film?"  Because, well let's fan out for a minute on that thought.  Captain America himself directing an X-23 feature.  How bad ass would that be?  So he's definitely on my personal short list of directors currently.  More on this as his filmography grows as a director for seeing how well he could fit.

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